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Settlement agreed for 11 September rescuers

World Trade Center - Towers collapsed after planes crashed into them in 2001

Workers suffering health problems stemming from the 11 September attacks in New York have agreed to a $712m settlement.

More than 95% of the 10,563 workers had to agree to the deal for it to go ahead.

The Garretson Resolution Group, which has been assessing the claims, said in a letter to the federal judge overseeing the case that 95.1% (10,043) of the workers had submitted documents agreeing to the settlement.

The money will come from a federally financed insurance fund, the WTC Captive Insurance Company, created in 2004 with a $1bn grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The case involves firefighters, police, contractors and others who worked at Ground Zero in the ruins of the World Trade Center.

They sued the city and its contractors for claims of injuries associated with the rescue and clean-up work.

The deal allows for individual payouts and people receiving workers' compensation for their injuries will continue to receive assistance.

Victims suffering from severe asthma and cancers will get amounts of up to $1m.